United for Respect at Walmart

Whose Walmart? OUR Walmart.

Our movement began in 2011 when more than a hundred Walmart associates came together in front of Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas to share our experiences and build a vision for change. Together, we created the Declaration of Respect to call on Walmart to publicly commit to raise pay and fundamentally change how the corporation treats associates.

We’ve courageously spoken out, held national mass protests on Black Friday, and even gone on strike to protect our freedom to speak out. In our decade of coming together and building power, we successfully moved Walmart to raise base pay from $7.25 to $11 an hour.

"There’s not many jobs in my community and most of them don’t pay well. If I have to pay rent, I have to hold off on anything my kids need."

Madeline Chambers, North Carolina

When pregnant women working at Walmart were being denied extra bathroom breaks, a reasonable lifting policy, and water bottles at the register, a group of Texas Walmart associates met to share their experiences with Walmart’s failure to accommodate our pregnancies. As we met and spoke about our experiences, one of the women in the room said, “they need to respect this bump” and that’s how our campaign – Respect the Bump – was formed. We began sharing our stories more widely, including with news media, and garnered support from national women’s rights organizations including PL+US and A Better Balance. As we built momentum with women all over the country experiencing similar issues, we launched our Women’s Economic Stability Program at Walmart.

We’ve won important changes to Walmart’s pregnancy accommodation policy, paid family leave for 500,000 associates working full-time, and secured six days of paid time off.

Walmart is the largest corporate employer in the U.S. as well as the largest corporate employer of Black, Latinx, and women in the country. The corporation brings in more than $500 billion in revenue a year. As heirs to the Walmart fortune, the Waltons own more wealth than 40% of everyone in the U.S. Despite this success, Walmart is increasing its reliance on an underpaid part-time workforce while associates across the board are experiencing cuts to our hours and benefits.

“I had no paid leave and had to go back to work two weeks after childbirth. I called my manager to let them know I had to go with my baby to the hospital, but it didn’t matter – they penalized me for missing work. Women shouldn’t have to choose between their workplace and their child."

Jasmine Dixon, Colorado

We work hard and we deserve a share of the wealth we help create. It’s time for Walmart to respect associates and publicly commit to raising our wages and addressing the obstacles to opportunity and full-time positions that we face in our stores every day.

We’re calling on Walmart to put our families first and change the way associates are treated on the job. And Walmart is listening. An increase in pay, a change in their pregnancy policy and unfair scheduling practices are just some of the changes Walmart has made. But they aren’t enough.

“I shouldn’t have to choose between paying rent or paying my light bill.”

Cierra Harrington, North Carolina

“I’ve worked at Walmart for 26 years. I take the bus everyday – my shift starts at 4AM and I have to leave my house by 1:30AM to make it to work on time because there’s limited public transportation available. Our hours are being cut and we’re not paid enough to provide for our families."

Daniel Coles, California

We need Walmart to change what decisions are made and who is making them. We’re demanding a say in what happens at the top because it impacts us at the bottom. We’re fighting for seats on the board of directors – associates need to be represented on the corporate board to ensure that our voices, issues, and experiences are a part of building real change at Walmart.

We're calling on Walmart to publicly commit to:

Pay associates a base wage $15 an hour with similar raises for long-term associates.

Provide consistent schedules and full-time hours for those who want to work more hours.

Establish and follow a healthy sick time policy that allows us to take time off to care for our families, because no one should be afraid to lose their job.

Respect all associates by putting an end to discrimination, favoritism, and unjust and unlawful terminations.

Worker representation on the board of directors to ensure we have a say in decisions that impact our work and our lives.

Winning good jobs at Walmart, the country’s largest corporate employer, is the gateway to changing the service economy as a whole.

Are you interested in joining the fight for respect at Walmart? Become a delegate.

United for Respect is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. United for Respect is not a labor union and does not exist for the purpose of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, or terms and conditions of employment.
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